Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 9
Chapter 276 — राजवंशवर्णनम्
Description of Royal Lineages
शिवे पुत्रास्तु चत्वारः पृथुदर्भश् च वीरकः कैकेयो भद्रकस्तेषां नाम्रा जनपदाः शुभाः
śive putrāstu catvāraḥ pṛthudarbhaś ca vīrakaḥ kaikeyo bhadrakasteṣāṃ nāmrā janapadāḥ śubhāḥ
ਸ਼ਿਵਿ ਦੇ ਚਾਰ ਪੁੱਤਰ ਸਨ—ਪ੍ਰਿਥੁਦਰਭ, ਵੀਰਕ, ਕੈਕેય ਅਤੇ ਭਦ੍ਰਕ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਮਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਹੀ ਸ਼ੁਭ ਜਨਪਦ (ਦੇਸ਼-ਖੇਤਰ) ਪ੍ਰਸਿੱਧ ਹੋਏ।
Lord Agni (narrating Purāṇic genealogies to sage Vasiṣṭha, per the Agni Purāṇa’s frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Cosmology","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Understanding janapada origins and political geography through eponymous founders; useful for mapping ancient polities and their kin-relations.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Śivi’s four sons as eponyms of janapadas","lookup_keywords":["Śivi","Pṛthudarbha","Vīraka","Kaikeya","Bhadraka"],"quick_summary":"States that Śivi’s four sons give their names to auspicious janapadas, a Purāṇic method for explaining regional ethnonyms and kingdoms."}
Concept: Rājadharma is embedded in kula and deśa: rightful rule is narrated as an outgrowth of lineage and named land.
Application: Use eponym lists to cross-identify tribes/kingdoms in epic narratives and to interpret place-names as lineage markers.
Khanda Section: Vamsha-Anucharita / Bhugola-Janaapada-Nirupana (Genealogies and regional eponyms)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: Kingdom/Janapada
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Śivi with four princely sons, each pointing toward a different direction where a labeled janapada landscape emerges—Kaikeya, Bhadraka, Vīraka, Pṛthudarbha—symbolizing eponymous founding.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, Śivi seated with four sons in princely attire, directional mandala behind them with four landscape panels labeled as janapadas, bold outlines and traditional jewelry.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Śivi central with gold halo, four sons in smaller flanking panels, each with a miniature fort/landscape and name plaque, heavy gold work and rich textiles.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, semi-diagrammatic composition: Śivi and four sons with arrows to four labeled regions, fine linework, soft shading, instructional clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, court scene with Śivi and four princes; background divided into four vignettes of distinct terrains and forts, delicate calligraphy naming each janapada."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पुत्रास्-तु → पुत्राः + तु; पृथुदर्भश् च → पृथुदर्भः + च; भद्रकस्-तेषाम् → भद्रकः + तेषाम्; नाम्रा → नाम्ना (तृतीया एकवचन)
Related Themes: Agni Purana: janapada-nirūpaṇa passages near 276.9; Agni Purana: other eponymous origin lists (aṅga-vaṅga etc.)
FAQs
This verse conveys Purāṇic geo-genealogical knowledge: it explains how certain janapadas (regions/polities) are named after ancestral figures, a traditional method of cataloging peoples and territories.
By preserving eponym-based ethnography and regional nomenclature, it functions like an index of ancient Indian political geography tied to lineage-history—one of the Agni Purāṇa’s hallmark “catalog” sections alongside ritual, law, medicine, and statecraft.
The verse primarily serves historical-memory (smṛti) and dharmic continuity: remembering righteous lineages and their lands is treated in Purāṇas as auspicious (śubha) and supportive of cultural order (dharma) rather than as a direct ritual injunction.